How Santa Clara is run
Who runs Santa Clara, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Santa Clara's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Santa Clara
A city manager appointed by the council manages and runs the city. The council of seven, a mayor elected citywide and six members elected by district, is the legislative body. Voters also elect the police chief and the city clerk.
What they are paid
- City pays $8,600 a year into a 457 or 401(a) retirement account
- Car allowance of $520 a month
- CalPERS pension and the health, dental, vision, life insurance and leave benefits of the city's unclassified managers (Unit 9)
- Automatic raise of 2%, or the local inflation rate if lower, if the council does not finish his yearly review by May 31
Santa Clara city staff
1,227 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 234, Electric utility (Silicon Valley Power) 227, Fire 170, Public Works 131. FY2026-27. City of Santa Clara · Jun 9, 2026
The council approves salary plans that list the pay range for every job title. The July 2026 plan lists the elected police chief at $353,686.56 a year and the elected city clerk at $18,900. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Santa Clara in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
The city's own outlook
The city's ten-year forecast calls the FY2026-27 general fund budget balanced at $377.2 million of sources and uses. Later years show small surpluses and shortfalls, from a $1.9 million shortfall to an $8.9 million surplus a year. The forecast leaves out the cost of growth, new services and full infrastructure needs. City of Santa Clara · Jun 9, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $163M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a Budget Stabilization Reserve equal to three months (25%) of the general fund operating budget, for downturns and disasters, plus a Capital Projects Reserve of at least $5 million. Both are counted in unassigned fund balance: $72.7M and $13.4M at June 30, 2025. The FY2026-27 budget sets the stabilization reserve at $84.0M, 25% of expenditures. City of Santa Clara · Dec 2, 2025
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Property tax$108M · 30%
- Sales tax$75.8M · 21%
- Other service fees$49.5M · 14%
- Transfer from Silicon Valley Power (city electric utility)$42.9M · 12%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy)$30.7M · 8%
- Other (rents, interest, permits, franchise and other taxes, fines)$56.6M · 16%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$106M · 29%
- Fire$80.5M · 22%
- Non-departmental$61.3M · 17%
- Public Works$32M · 9%
- Parks and recreation$25.9M · 7%
- Finance$20.8M · 6%
- Library$12.6M · 3%
- Other (city manager, council, attorney, clerk, auditor, human resources, community development)$29.4M · 8%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
The county collects the 1% base levy and shares it with the city and other agencies; this table does not break out the city's share. Other agencies may levy added rates only for voter-approved debt.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Santa Clara
- Santa Clara County levy (includes the 1% base levy, shared with the city, schools and other agencies)1.0388 · 90%
- School and college districts (voter-approved bonds)0.1085 · 9%
- Special districts0.0041 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.1514
FY2024-25 rates for a home in Santa Clara's typical tax rate area (7-000), Santa Clara County. City of Santa Clara · Dec 2, 2025
See what a Santa Clara home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Santa Clara is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySanta Clara Police DepartmentThe police chief is elected by voters.City of Santa Clara · Dec 2, 2025
- FireThe citySanta Clara Fire DepartmentCity of Santa Clara · Dec 2, 2025
- ElectricityThe citySilicon Valley Power (city Electric Utility Department)City of Santa Clara · Dec 2, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Santa Clara water utilityCity of Santa Clara · Dec 2, 2025
- SewerThe cityCity of Santa Clara sewer utilityCity of Santa Clara · Dec 2, 2025
- LibraryThe cityCity of Santa Clara Library DepartmentCity of Santa Clara · Dec 2, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Santa Clara Parks and RecreationCity of Santa Clara · Dec 2, 2025
- City streetsThe cityCity of Santa Clara Public WorksCity of Santa Clara · Dec 2, 2025
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | Santa ClaraCA | VictorvilleCA | FullertonCA | OrangeCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 138,011 | 139,680 | 140,224 | 141,063 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $439,383 | $385,607 | $305,000 | $326,400 |
| Council member pay | $25,200 | $22,800 | Not confirmed | Not current (2022) |
| General fund per resident | $2,672 | $870 | $1,050 | $1,202 |
| Debt per resident | $3,584 | $2,290 | $130 | $1,970 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $4,595 | $645 | $2,083 | $481 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 8.9 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 5.0 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how).
What Santa Clara publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe 2023 agreement and the January 2026 amendment are attached to Legistar items 23-213 and 26-60. City of Santa Clara · Jan 27, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineLegistar minutes name each member's vote, e.g. the FY2026-27 budget passed 7-0 on June 9, 2026. City of Santa Clara · Jun 9, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe council-approved salary plan lists $2,100 a month ($25,200 a year) for council members and $2,625 ($31,500) for the mayor. City of Santa Clara · Jun 23, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay publishedCouncil-approved salary plans list minimum and maximum pay for each job title and are attached in Legistar. City of Santa Clara · Jun 23, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund took in $85.8M more than it spent in FY2024-25, and its balance rose to $241.1M. How will the council weigh savings against the city's infrastructure needs?
- The city's two CalPERS plans were $634.2M short at June 30, 2025, about 69% funded, while the city's pension reserve held $37.5M. How fast does the council plan to close that gap?
- The City Manager's pay rose automatically to $439,382.76 in May 2026 because his yearly review was not finished by May 31. Will the council finish the next review on time?
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